These tasty little Peach and Blueberry Crostini pack a big punch of flavor. Drizzled with a Balsamic Glaze, they make a tasty, showy, and easy-to-make appetizer or hors d’oeuvre to serve, especially during peach and blueberry season.
My Island Bistro KitchenBarbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen
Ingredients
1French baguette, sliced at a slight diagonal, into twelve (12) ½-inch thick slices
Olive oil
6very thin slices of cold cut of choice (e.g., pepperoni, salami, etc), each cut in half
Apx. ¼ cup of jelly of choice (See Note 1 below)
Apx. 3½ oz (100g) cream cheese spread of choice, softened at room temperature
¾tspliquid honey or maple syrup (See Note 1 below)
1 - 2small peaches, peeled and cut into small thin wedges
Handful of fresh highbush blueberries
Small fresh Basil leaves
2– 3 tbsp Balsamic Glaze/balsamic reduction (See Note 2 below)
Instructions
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Bring cheese to room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften.
Using a serrated bread knife, slice baguette, at a slight diagonal angle, into 12 slices, each apx. ½“ thick. Brush slices with olive oil. Place slices, single layer, on baking sheet. Transfer to oven for 7-10 minutes or just until slices are slightly toasted golden. Do not let bread burn. Remove baguette slices from oven and let cool.
Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of jelly on cooled crostini.
In small bowl, beat the cheese and honey or maple syrup together until combined and smooth. Spread a couple of teaspoons on each crostini.
Peel and slice the peaches into small, thin wedges. Place one wedge on each crostini.
Cut each circle of cold cut in half. Pleat, or roll, each half and nestle it alongside the peach slice on each crostini.
Add two to three blueberries on top of each crostini. Garnish with a small Basil leaf or two.
Drizzle with a balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 12 appetizers or hors d’oeuvres
NOTE 1: How much actual jelly and cream cheese will be needed will depend on the size of each baguette slice.
NOTE 2: Balsamic glaze can be made from a good quality pure balsamic vinegar by bringing ½ cup of vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat then reducing the heat to a low temperature until the mixture has reduced by half. Bottled balsamic glaze is also commercially available in most large supermarkets in the section where the balsamic vinegars are found.